by Trina Solet
"I got some boards off the windows and I'll see how many I can get off before it gets dark."
"I'll help you with that since I'm staying over another night," Seth said.
"All right, thanks."
They went outside. It was overcast and Seth didn't think they would get to work for long. Seeing some tools on the porch, he asked, "Did you bring all these tools with you?" They were all on the small side and looked pretty new.
"I did. I knew there would be work to do here," Theo said.
"You amaze me," Seth said. Theo narrowed his eyes at him like he suspected Seth was making fun of him. "I mean it. I have only one thing of use. These old work gloves. They were my grandpa's but they are still holding up. You want them?" Seth held them out to him, but Theo shook his head.
"No. I've managed without them."
"Then I'll do the hands on stuff. You use the tools."
"Sounds good," Theo said and he started working the boards loose on the window to the living room.
"It will be good to have some light coming in," Seth said as he pulled off the first board.
"And we might have electricity soon too," Theo said. "They're sending someone out from the power company to check things over, and hopefully we'll have the power on."
"I'm in charge of all the boards," Ace told Seth as he picked up the board he threw away.
"Yes, you're the boss of them. Be careful of the nails," Theo warned him.
As Ace took away one board, Theo pulled off another one, but it came loose easier than he expected. As he lost his balance and stumbled back, Seth was right behind him and Theo fell against him. Seth laughed at the feeling of suddenly having Theo practically in his arms.
"I'm supposed to do that," he told Theo, who blinked at him a few times before he straightened.
Maybe he noticed the weird tremor that passed through Seth's whole body when he was holding onto him. It was really powerful, like a jolt of electricity. To cover up the strange feeling, he asked Theo about the house.
"It was last occupied about ten years ago when my grandfather stayed here after he and my grandmother divorced," Theo told him. "When our granddad retired, he wanted to move back here, fix up the house. Grandma wasn't into that. She wanted them to move to Jamaica, where her family is from. They split up over it and all their other differences. Granddad was into reading and old jazz records. Grandma liked to be around people. She called this place a shack in the woods."
"This place is nice. Looks well built and it's not in bad shape," Seth said.
"My great-grandparents built it, and my granddad fixed it up. And it looks like the windows got boarded up early so they didn't get broken except for that one."
"What do you want to do about it?" Seth asked as they moved over to the broken bedroom window. The boards were put over it from the outside, but some of the broken glass was still there.
"Leave it boarded up, but I want to clear out the glass," Theo decided.
They went inside and barely got any light until Theo turned on the camping lantern. "Let me handle the glass. I have the work gloves," Seth said heading him off before he could get to work on it.
"Be careful." Theo stood to one side as Seth pulled pieces of glass free of the frame. "The window isn't too big. I'm hoping it won't be too expensive to fix," Theo was saying then he stopped Seth as he got ready to break off a stubborn piece of glass. "Let me try something."
As he held the glass, and Theo used the screwdriver and hammer to loosen it from the frame, Seth found himself stuck between him and the wall. He was so close, brushing up against Seth and making him tingly. Why the hell did that keep happening?
"The first thing I'll be able to afford is paint, but I'd rather take care of the window and the porch," Theo said and Seth was glad he broke the silence that to him seemed heavy.
"How did it go at that inn? Did you get to interview?"
"I did and they'll let me know," Theo told him.
"The short version, huh," Seth said with a smile, so Theo told him a little bit more.
"It's a big place, looks as good as it did online and expensive, there's a gift shop, a restaurant, a tearoom and events halls."
"That would be a good place to work, right?" Seth said.
"It would. But Leo Copeland won't be an easy boss to work for."
Seth had that same impression, but he wasn't worried for Theo. "I have a feeling you'll do fine," he said and Theo looked surprised.
"I have to get the job first," he said as Ace came in to see what they were doing.
Hearing what his big brother said, Ace looked up at Seth. "You think Theo is going to get the job?"
Seth could tell he was anxious. "He has a good chance," Seth told him confidently.
By the time it got dark, most of the boards were off, and they went to have a little more of the food from Peach Tree Café. For Seth it was a nice change to be able to get his fill of good things to eat.
"Now the surprise?" Ace asked when they were done eating.
Theo nodded. "Go ahead."
Ace brought out a bag of candy from a shopping bag and yelled, "Worms!"
Seth laughed as Ace offered him some sour gummy worms.
"Yes, this is all because you said you liked them," Theo told him.
"We're sharing them," Ace said to Theo as he bit into one and made a face at the sour flavor.
"Good and sour," Seth said as he had one too and made a big show of how sour it was to make Ace laugh.
Then Ace pushed the bag at his big brother. "You too, Theo. Make the sour face."
For Ace's sake, Theo put on a act like the sour worms were real tough for him to handle, and he had Ace giggling.
Seth hadn't tasted sour worms for a good long while, and he had only thought of his old favorite because Ace reminded him of things from when he was a kid, good things only, moments when he would forget his troubles and just get lost in a taste of an ice pop or sour candy, whatever cheap treat he could get his hands on.
By the light of the camping lantern, Ace told Seth about his most exciting video game battles, and the little guy tuckered himself out. Once he was asleep in the sleeping bag, it was just Seth and Theo. They moved to the far side of the living room, and Seth got the lowdown on what Theo would do if the job at the inn didn't pan out.
"My best bet will be something in Ashbury. That's the next town north of here, but getting to and from work on a bus is going to eat up a lot of time. I don't know what I'll do with Ace."
"I'll feel bad for taking the cafe job if you don't get the one at the inn," Seth said.
"That's not a long-term solution anyway. I might find something closer."
"Peach Tree isn't one of those dying small towns. You might find something there," Seth said but he was already feeling guilty. "How did you like the town?"
"Not bad. It had a pretty good vibe. The shopping was decent," Theo said.
"I didn't get to see much of it, just from the cafe windows," Seth told him. "It's nothing like where I came from. Waterfield is a miserable little hole."
"I guess that's why you left."
"Yeah. Finally."
"You said you granddad is gone. Sorry about that. What about the rest of your family?"
"Scattered. What about your folks?" Seth asked so he wouldn't have to talk about his own, but then he realized that Theo might find it even harder to talk about his family.
"We lost our dad a while ago, when Ace was still a baby. A leak at the chemical plant where he worked. Our mom two years ago."
Theo stopped speaking and Seth didn't ask any more. His own parents disappeared from his life, but to have a mom and dad die on them and when Ace was still a little kid too...
"Why is Ace so worried about taking charity?" Seth asked.
"That's my fault. This girl who was trying to get to me through Ace kept giving him stuff. One time he heard me tell her that we didn't want her charity. He took it to heart."
"It's hard to explain to a kid that some
gifts aren't free. And I did bring that food hoping you'd let me stay here again," Seth confessed.
"We made an exchange. Nothing underhanded about that," Theo told him.
They went silent for a little bit, and Seth noticed that Theo was eyeing the fireplace. As cold as it was, he was probably tempted to get it going. "You're not thinking of lighting a fire in there, are you? You're likely to fill the house with smoke. That's if you're lucky."
"I know we can't have a fire until it's checked out," Theo said and gave him a look.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to lecture you," Seth said.
"It's fine. I'll make sure not to burn the house down," Theo said like Seth was nagging him, but he didn't sound too mad about it.
Now Seth was thinking about how they were going to sleep. It looked like there was only one sleeping bag for Ace. Last night Theo had covered himself with some kind of thin, thermal blanket. That guy was all about his little brother.
"You're not going to be awake all night long again, are you?" Seth asked but he didn't wait for the answer. "I know you have your little brother to think of, but..."
"I'll manage," Theo said.
Seth came up with an idea. "What if I close myself up in the bedroom with the boarded up window, you sleep against the door, and we can both get some sleep."
"Are you serious?" Theo asked.
"It's not a dumb idea, is it?" Seth asked since Theo was looking at him like he was crazy. "You'll know where I am, but you won't have to stay awake." Seth then added a request. "And in the morning, you think I could take a shower?"
"Sure. The water is running clean and we have soap."
"That would be great, thanks. Now I'll just move myself into that room," Seth said and got up off the floor and got his duffel bag. He didn't really want to go, but he didn't want Theo loosing another night's sleep because of him.
"What kind of light do you have with you?" Theo asked him as he got up too.
"I have a flashlight," Seth said and got it out of the duffel bag. He turned it on. The beam was weak and it flickered before he tapped it against his palm. "I won't need it much. The dark will suit me fine. I'm good and tired."
Theo nodded. "You did a full day's work, first at the café then helping me here."
"I was glad to pitch in." Seth then thought of something. "I don't have any way to wake myself up for work. I don't want to be late."
"I'll wake you," Theo said.
"At five?" Seth said and hoped it wasn't too early.
"That's fine," Theo said. "Wait. I got this blanket at the store today. It's cheap, but it's better than covering yourself just with your clothes."
"I'll be all right. You keep it," Seth said.
"Take it," Theo said and pushed it at him.
"OK. Thanks. You try and sleep, all right."
"I'll try," Theo said and rolled his eyes. Maybe he thought Seth was nagging him again. He did frown as he followed Seth to the bedroom door. "I feel bad, like you'll be a prisoner in there."
"I'll be asleep. But I wouldn't be able to sleep if I had a little brother and a stranger in the house," Seth said.
"You're not exactly a stranger any more," Theo said, but he wasn't ready to trust Seth and they both knew it.
"Good night," Seth told him.
Settling on the floor and listening as Theo did the same just outside, Seth didn't mind the arrangement. Theo was right outside and hopefully he would get to sleep. Maybe Seth might even hear him snore.
Before, when he was sitting in the dark with Theo, Seth had the funniest feeling. Like a long time ago when he and his friend Jake used to sleep under a tent in the yard. They would huddle close with a flashlight between them and try to scare each other. It was like that with Theo – a little excitement, a little fear and closeness in the dark.
Chapter 5
It was no surprise that having Seth there made things more complicated, but Theo didn't expect the man would stir him up the way he did. Theo should have shrugged off his dark blue eyes and athletic physique and only considered him an inconvenient, temporary guest.
But even the next morning Theo was still wrapped up in the low sound of his voice in the dark, the way he listened and worried all the time, the way the night had turned his eyes midnight blue.
Sitting with him, talking in hushed voices turned into Theo lying against his closed door. It was strange and Theo felt like they were inches apart. He wasn't sure he could sleep then he closed his eyes for what felt like only one minute before the alarm on his phone sounded.
And now it was early and still dark and Seth was taking a shower with that flickering flashlight on the sink to give him light. Theo pictured him soaping up and washing himself in the weird light, the contours of his body shadowy as rivulets slid down over his hard muscles.
Theo couldn't help guessing what his body might look like. He was built, that much Theo could tell even with his clothes on. That's why he couldn't help mentally stripping Seth when he should have been thinking about more important stuff, like planning in case the job at the inn fell through, and making sure Ace was ready for school.
"Do I really have to go?" Ace was asking every two minutes even with his mouth full of food, and now with his mouth full of toothpaste as he brushed his teeth in the kitchen.
Theo only managed to say yes for the hundredth time before he had to answer a call. He stepped away from Ace's toothpaste splattering chatter.
Theo was off the phone just as Seth came out of the bathroom. Doing his best not to stare, Theo couldn't help noticing his wet hair and his reddish skin. Was he like that all over?
"That water is good and cold, but a cold shower is better than no shower," Seth was saying. "It sure wakes you up."
That was something that Theo didn't add to his fantasy as a naked Seth was streaming up his imagination – Seth shivering under a stream of ice-cold water.
"We'll have power soon, and I'll be able to afford the electric bill. I'm hired," Theo said then he yelled it louder so Ace could hear. He grinned big when Ace ran into the living room and jumped around, celebrating.
"That's great news," Seth said as Ace came over to hug Theo.
When he was done hugging him, Ace took his hand and shook it really hard, so Theo felt like he had been thoroughly congratulated.
Seth looked relieved. "Now I don't have to feel bad about taking the cafe job."
"I was thinking of going to the café today to thank the owner. Now I won't be able to," Theo said.
"Yesterday she came in later. You might be able to catch her after you finish work," Seth said.
"I'll see. I don't want to put it off for too long. She did us a big favor," Theo said while he put his hand on top of Ace's head and left it there for Ace to shake off.
They had a little time, and since Ace was not happy about his first day of school, Theo wanted to do something to remind him that this would be their home. Three framed photos were carefully wrapped and packed so they could bring them along. Theo got them out of the rucksack and then for a while he just stared at them.
One photo was their parents on their wedding day, sitting on a swing decorated with flowers. Then there was a picture of all four of them together. Theo was in Dad's lap, Ace in Mom's, everyone smiling.
There weren't as many pictures of their dad with Ace, but this one was Theo's favorite. Dad was holding Ace high up. Both of them were smiling as Ace was squeezing their dad's face with his tiny hands.
"We might not have furniture, but we have these shelves. I think we can put these up. You want to do the honors?" Theo asked Ace.
"Now mom and dad are here with us," Ace said as he looked at the photos.
"They're always with us wherever we are. And we'll have more pictures when some of our stuff gets sent here," Theo told him.
Seth came into the room and Ace called him over. "Come and look at our mom and dad."
"Those are some good pictures. So your mom was white," Seth said, and Theo looked over at him.
&n
bsp; "I look like our mom and our dad," Ace told him. "And Theo looks like me. He's always copying me."
"You're asking to get tickled," Theo warned him.
Ace hunched over protecting his middle then looked up. "I think I see something," Ace said peering underneath one of the shelves. "I found a treasure."
Seth was looking at the same shelf from the top. "There's a folded piece of paper stuck behind the shelf." He tried to free it then stopped. "It's wedged in there. I don't want to rip it."
"It's probably just a shopping list or something," Theo said, not wanting to get Ace's hopes up or his own, but he couldn't help being curious.
"I still want to be careful with it," Seth said. "I'm going to get under it and push up on the shelf. Theo, you get the paper out."
With his help, Theo got it out intact. As Ace looked up at him eagerly, he unfolded it. It was a piece of lined notepad paper, creased and covered with lines of poetry. He read the title, "Winter Poem" by Nikki Giovanni.
"Granddad read this to me once when I wanted snow for Christmas, but there wasn't any. I was moping and looking out the window. With a book in his hand, Granddad came over and told me, 'Listen to this.' Then he read me this poem."
"Wow," Seth said. "Ace did find a treasure."
"He did," Theo said and rubbed Ace's head. "I remember the poem made me smile."
Ace pointed at the back of the paper. "Your name is on there, Theo."
And it was. On the other side of the paper, he read, "For Theo when he's sad."
Now Theo got so choked up, he couldn't even speak. Tears came to his eyes and Ace hugged him. Seth had tears in his eyes too.
Theo remembered that he just lost his own grandfather. Reaching out for Seth, he squeezed his shoulder.
"Thank you for finding this, guys. It's really special."
Since he was still in the orientation phase with his job at the inn and he learned quickly, it was no problem getting to leave in time to pick up Ace from school. When he had to cover the front desk, it wouldn't be that easy. There had to be some after school activity he could sign him up for, but Theo didn't find anything when he looked online.
